Page 76 - The Decorative Painter Summer 2017

Angel Weather vanE
ORIGINAL BY MARY JO LEISURE mda ADAPTED TO ACRYLIC BY PRUDY VANNIER cda
In 1983 Mary Jo Leisure mda published her book “Apples – An Apple a Day is the Painter’s Way.” The works are beautiful and timeless.
For 25 years, the general rule for a decorative artist was you were either an acrylic painter or an oil paint- er. Period! Now, years later, with teaching skills honed, quality of paint and brushes improved, duplicating a project in a different medium is entirely possible, in fact, fun. This point is illustrated in the feature, In The Teach- er’s Corner, page 10 of The Decorative Painter, Spring 2017, which Cheri Rol and I collaborated on. Mary Jo Leisure’s apples go a step further.
In the following pages, you’ll find directions in oil and acrylic for this piece. The original weather vane is metal. The shape was reproduced in wood and is slightly smaller than the original to make it more manageable. It is faux-finished using DecoArt Americana Décor Metallic Acrylics. Find the Step-by-Step directions in the Skills Builders article on page 15. Be sure to have it darkest in the apple design area.
The project was a fun challenge. Regardless of the me- dium, you need to review the instructions and dissect the colors. Oil painters apply paint and blend. Acrylic painters layer paint starting with a basecoat.
LET’S PAINT – OIL MIXING SYMBOLS
74 The Decorative Painter • SUMMER 2017
DECORATIVEPAINTERS.ORG
+
–
( ) “mix”
= blend colors together
= dry-wipe and pick up next color
= use maybe or a small amount
= use a dirty brush but dry-wipe first
Mary Jo Leisure brush-mixes her colors.
APPLES
Refer to the oil Step-by-Step on page 77. Transfer the pattern.
There are four steps in painting the apples: 1) Block in;
2) Blend lightly connecting colors;
3) Dry and shade; and
4) Highlight and tint.
When applying highlight, lay it across the fat part of
the apple first. Blend lightly to develop shape. Add shine going with the contour.
Dark: Alizarin Crimson Yellow+Ivory Black
Buff: Alizarin Crimson+Raw Sienna+(Cadmium Orange) and Alizarin Crimson+Yellow Ochre Pale